Eyes on the Outdoors: Trying to keep their heads above water Deck: Wet spring is not what Iowa’s beleaguered pheasant population needed

Thursday

May 23, 2013 at 10:52 AMMay 24, 2013 at 9:06 AM

The small steps made by Iowa's ring-necked pheasants last spring and summer toward population recovery likely suffered a big setback last winter and this spring.

The small steps made by Iowa’s ring-necked pheasants last spring and summer toward population recovery likely suffered a big setback last winter and this spring.

“This past winter, we had 31.3 inches of snowfall, and counts have never increased following winters with 31 inches or more,” said Todd Bogenschutz, uplands biologist for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. “April saw 6.5 inches of rainfall (108 percent above normal). If we assume normal rainfall of 3.92 inches for May, then the total for this spring would be over 10 inches. Pheasant counts almost always decline during springs with greater than 8 inches of rainfall.”

The bottom line?

“It’s not looking good” for a second consecutive year of pheasant numbers rebounding, Bogenschutz said.

After a mild winter and a warm and dry spring one year ago, the state saw an overall 18 percent increase during the 2012 August roadside ringneck count. It marked Iowa’s first pheasant population increase since 2005.

“There was some speculation with the drought that the roadside counts were off and the increase was actually higher,” Bogenschutz said. “The harvest information might shed some light on this.”

Hunters killed an estimated 108,905 roosters in 2011-12, an all-time state low, and Bogenschutz said 2012-13 numbers won’t be compiled until next week. If last year’s harvest numbers surpass those of 2011-12, it would mark the end of six consecutive years of setting record-low harvests.

Iowa has lost 372,000 acres (or 591 square miles) of Conservation Reserve Program acres since 2005, which has significantly reduced nesting habitat and winter cover for pheasants and other upland birds and mammals.

Two programs that could benefit upland birds, however, recently were announced by the USDA, including:

n A general CRP sign-up that began Monday and will continue until June 14.

n The restart of sign-up for continuous CRP, including the State Acres for Wildlife Enhancement (SAFE) Initiative, which began May 13 and will continue until Sept. 30.

CRP contracts provide annual rental payments to landowners who in turn agree to use conservation practices that will reduce soil erosion, improve water and air quality, or provide winter cover and food for wildlife.

Story, Boone and Hamilton county residents can get more information on both programs by visiting www.fsa.usda.gov or contacting Ryan Harr at (515) 573-4351.

Todd Burras can be reached at outdoorstoddburras@ gmail.com. Read his blog at www.amestrib.com.

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